


Be My Baby

by MarmeLady_Orange



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Awkward Sexual Situations, Baby is always a car, Depression, Haunting, It started funny but then got less funny, M/M, Mind Manipulation, Other, Referenced objectophilia, Season/Series 09 Spoilers, Series Spoilers, Spirits, Suicidal Thoughts, Triggers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-24
Updated: 2014-02-24
Packaged: 2018-01-13 14:08:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1229308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarmeLady_Orange/pseuds/MarmeLady_Orange
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean has finally realised love had been staring him in the face all these years. Only, his brother and best friend are very far from being supportive. What the hell did Baby ever do to them, anyways?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Be My Baby

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Будь моей, Детка](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8185867) by [FoggyFeline71](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoggyFeline71/pseuds/FoggyFeline71)



"Sammy? Sammy! Where are you?"

"In the kitchen, Dean!"

Sam hears his brother running in the bunker, wondering what's with the excited puppy attitude.

"Sammy! You gotta get one of those... those mariage thingies on the internet." Dean blurts when he erupts in the kitchen, out of breath.

"What? What mariage thingies?"

"You know... a license thing, to marry people."

"Ok...? And why do I need a license to marry people?" Sam asks, confused.

"For my wedding, of course..." Dean replies, eyeing his brother as if he’s lost his mind.

Sam is speechless. He can't even muster an appropriate bitch face. But then it's like a light flicks on in his brain and he gives his brother a knowing smirk.

"You know Dean, Cas may be an angel again but I don't think you NEED to get married to date the guy."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You want me to marry you and Cas, right?"

"No! Why would I marry Cas?"

Sam takes a minute to think about how he should be answering that question.

"I don't know, Dean... who else would you marry then? We don't know anybody."

"How do you not know this, Sammy. I'm marrying Baby, of course."

“Huh… yeah… right… of course…” stammers Sam, suddenly worried. “Care to explain how that happened?”

“How what happened?”

“Well… How did Baby become… you know?”

“How did she become what? She always was, Sammy. I just never let myself see it.”

“Ok… we are talking about the car, right?” Sam asks carefully. But obviously not carefully enough.

“Don’t you talk that way about her!” Dean spits, waving a menacing finger in his brother's face.

“Ok! Ok! So… SHE is _not_ a car anymore?”

“She’s so much more than a car, Sammy. You don’t understand! She’s _everything_!”

 

*****

 

“Please pick-up!” Sam mutters to himself, listening to the endless ringing in his phone.

“Hello?” he finally hears, the voice on the other end of the line sounding suspiciously sluggish.

“Cas? Were you sleeping?”

“Hello Sam! No, but I am low on energy, which would explain my strained voice.”

“Right… so, everything's good?”

“It is. Ran into some of my former brethren. They were not happy to see me, to say the least.”

“What happened?”

“They’re dead, there’s nothing more to say about it! How about you, is everything ok?”

“Well that’s kinda why I’m calling actually. Are you very far from us?”

“A bit. Boise, Idaho.”

“Ok, over 12 hours away or something. Still, you think you can come here? Are you busy?”

“What’s wrong, Sam?”

“It’s Dean… I… I don’t know how to explain it. Just come home, alright?”

“I’ll leave right away. I wish I still had my wings though. Travelling by car is torturous. So long and boring, I truly wonder how you humans can deal with it.”

“Yeah! God should have given us wings too, right?"

“Don’t be ridiculous, Sam! I’ll be there in the morning.”

“Thanks Cas, see you tom…” but the angel has already hung up.

 

*****

 

“Sammy?” Dean calls, efficiently making his brother jump in his seat.

“Yeah?” he answers after clearing his throat.

“So? Did you find it?”

“Find what?” replies Sam, full well knowing what his brother’s talking about but trying to buy himself some time.

“A way to get a licence on the Internet… Listen, Sammy, I know we’re not in a good place right now and you're still very pissed at me. You’re probably worried too and I dig the brotherly concern, I really do. But man, it’s Baby! You’ve known her forever, you had to know this would happen eventually.”

Sam really doesn’t know what to answer, not willing to aggravate his brother, not while he doesn’t know exactly what’s happening. He had searched the bunker earlier, trying to find hex bags or other weird artifacts but found nothing. He’s at a total loss and can’t wait for the angel to come and help.

Looking at his brother, if he hadn't known about the supernatural world, he could have believed Dean was truly in love with his car. Well he does love his car, of course, but he never was _in love_ with it (her, dammit). Now, what he can see in his brother’s green eyes, it could be totally sweet if it was directed towards a real living person. _“Even being in love with Becky was believable compared to that.”_ thinks Sam with a shudder.

“So, what do you say?” asks Dean, eagerly waiting for some answer.

“Sorry, I was distracted. What do I say about what?”

“Man, seriously? I’m pouring my heart out here!” Dean whimpers. As if Sam wasn’t worried enough.

“Sorry man… whatever you need.”

“Come see her, alright? She’s worried you don’t like her anymore. Please come and reassure her, would you?” Dean pleads, wide-eyed.

“So… Baby, your car, _thinks_ I don’t like her anymore because… you’re marrying her?”

“I know, silly, right? Just to set her mind at ease, you know?”

“Yeah… her mind, of course. Ok… so, what… right now?”

“I’d appreciate it, yeah. I don’t like when she’s stressed, then she doesn’t sleep well and she can get pretty cranky the next day. You know what I mean? he chuckles with a wink and a light elbow jab in Sam’s ribs.

Sam can only offer a smile at his brother’s attempt of (old creep’s) humour. Everything is so bizarre that he can just follow him and, weirdly enough, pray for the Impala to have been turned into a lady and that she’s waiting for them in the garage. See, this, he’d be able to deal with. His big brother wanting to marry and (please God no) have sex with his car? A whole other ball game.

Sadly, or gladly (Sam doesn’t even know anymore), they get to the garage and the Impala’s right where she’s supposed to be. In all her beauty. Metallic, shiny, gleaming, still a friggin’ car. Dammit!

“Hey Baby!” whispers softly Dean, sliding a reverent hand on the hood.

An intimate gesture, both equally sweet and creepy. Sam surprises himself to think he’d almost be ok with this if Baby answered back. But of course, she doesn’t. She doesn’t even honk to greet them. _“How rude!”_ he mocks to himself, not taking the chance to say it aloud.

“Aren’t you gonna say hi, Sammy?” his brother chides him.

“Ahem… of course… erh… hello… Baby? Can I call her that?”

“What else Sammy? That’s her name.”

“Yeah, of course, so yeah… Hello Baby!” He tries to smile and pats the car on the chassis, close to the hood.

“Hey! Hands off, man! How would you like if I patted your girlfriend’s butt?” Dean growls, oddly furious.

“Woah, sorry! I didn’t… that’s her butt?”

“Don’t be cute! I don’t cup a feel of your girls, so keep your hands off mine! And apologize!”

“I am so sorry! I’ll never do it again, I swear! I didn’t know I was… being… handsy!” Sam ultimately says, doing his best to seem sincere about it.

“That’s ok. We know you didn’t mean anything by it.” Dean replies, smiling and stroking Baby’s hood, soothingly.

“Right… so… can I still open the door?”

“Yeah, well… That’s another thing we wanted to talk to you about. Since we’re engaged and stuff, we’re pretty much exclusive now. So yeah, you’ll need your own set of wheels, Sam. But we hope that you’ll find someone real special, you know? If you’re lucky, she’ll be half as awesome as my honey right here.”

 

*****

 

Sam can’t sleep, his mind is on overload. He can’t wait for Castiel to get here so he can tell him what’s going on. Maybe with his angel x-rays he’ll be able to see exactly what’s wrong. He tried to do some research in the library while the lovebirds were spending some quality time in the garage but he was too worried of getting caught. So, he retired to his room early and has been trying to look on the net for any clue.

Sadly, what he finds is NOT of a supernatural nature. What he finds is a real mental illness but Sam can’t believe for one second that Dean suddenly developed such a pathology. It doesn’t make any sense, not without some supernatural help anyways. Sam would rather deal with magic before psychology any day.

“Hello Sam!”

“Geez, Cas!” Sam yelps, startled.

Castiel looks at him, eyes squinted, apparently confused as to why Sam would be surprised.

“You asked me to come…” he just says, as if it explains his sudden presence in Sam’s room.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s just… I would have thought you'd come in through the door.”

“But I did, you just didn’t…”

“Fine, no worries Cas, it’s ok.” Sam just replies, tired.

“Very well! So, what’s wrong with Dean?”

“You’re gonna wanna to sit down for this one.”

“I don’t need…”

“Cas, for crying out loud, would you just sit? You’re giving me a stiff neck.”

Being a human, even for a short time, has taught some things to Castiel, such as empathy. He also had learned about sarcasm, which he almost uses on Sam’s stiff neck comment. But the empathetic side wins his internal battle and he decides against it, seeing his friend’s haggard looks. Maybe it’s no time for witty repartees after all.

He sits on the bed, as requested, with an apologetic smile.

“Good. So… Ok… See… The thing is… Dean’s getting married.” Sam stammers, with a please-don’t-smite-me look on his face.

At first, Castiel is confused. By Sam’s attitude, mostly. But then, by the news itself. Married? To whom? So he asks.

“That’s just it, Cas. He’s not marrying a whom. It’s a what…”

“What?”

“Exactly.”

“No, I mean… What do you mean, what?”

“Oh… Dean doesn’t want to marry a person, he wants to marry… something.”

“Hmmm… And of course, you do not approve. I don’t see how that constitutes an urgent matter.” Castiel huffs, hoping Sam can’t see how _not_ insulted he is that the _something_ could maybe have been an angel. Hoping also that he can’t see how _not_ jealous he is about Dean’s new fiancée.

“But Cas…”

“I’m sure you have met couples before consisting of humans and supernatural beings. There's no law against it. Not really.” Then Castiel argues in his own mind, but not to Sam, that _ok… God didn’t agree with nephilims back in the days… so? It’s not like a man and a male vessel, per example, could ever produce a child now, could they?_

“No… when I say something, I don’t mean a non-human creature. I mean an object. Dean wants to marry Baby.”

“The Impala?”

“Yeah!’

“But… why?”

“Hell if I know! It has to be a spell or something, but I haven’t found anything yet. Plus, he’s really sensitive about it all. You know how protective he is of Baby?”

“Of course.”

“Imagine now that he thinks he’s _in love_ with her.”

“Father save us all…” Cas agrees.

 

*****

 

When Dean comes in the kitchen for his morning coffee, Castiel is sitting at the table, reading a book. As soon as the hunter sees him, he lights up and starts babbling excitedly.

“Oh, hey, Cas! When did you get here? You stayin’ for a while? I got GREAT news. And I’ll have to ask you something. Did you see Sammy?”

Castiel is almost frightened by the sight, and sound, of his usually more composed friend. Indeed, something is wrong with him but he doesn’t appear to be plagued by any curse. None that he can see with a quick angel scan anyways.

“Hey there, Cas! You listenin’ to me? It’s real important you know. I‘m trying to tell you I’m getting married here.”

“I’m sorry, I thought I heard something on angel radio.” he lies, glad to have that excuse going for him again. “You’re getting married?”

“Yup!”

“Oh! And who’s the lucky lady?” he manages to say without stuttering, blushing or sobbing uncontrollably because, you know, he just doesn’t care that much.

“The only lady that’s always been there for me… Baby!” Dean answers, his face beaming with the widest smile Cas has ever seen on him, his eyes shining with the fire of a million stars.

He’s got the same look the princesses get in the movies Sam likes to make him watch, when they see their prince. It’s completely sickening, because unnatural, of course. Not because of any other feeling like jealousy, treason or sorrow.

“Dean, I have to admit, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of… such a blessed union.” Castiel says cautiously, remembering Sam’s warning about Dean’s sensitivity on the subject.

“It's true, you don’t see love like ours every day. But, we’ve been together for so long, you know? It’s just the next logical step I guess.”

“I understand. But, I do wonder about some things. Like, you are a very sensual being Dean, how does that work with a ca… with Baby?”

“Geez Cas! Getting personal much? Not that it’s any of your business but, we manage. We make it work and that’s all you’re getting, alright?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry. I’m just… well… curious, you know? I’m an angel and I was a virgin until fairly recently, so you know…”

“Yeah, I get it. Just, I prefer to keep this private if you don’t mind.” Dean says, a little bit of heat on his cheeks.

“Fair enough.”

Castiel is hoping Dean is done with his announcements. He needs to go see the car, make sure that it, that she, is untempered with. He could go while invisible, that wouldn’t be a problem, but he can’t very well leave his friend until he has said all it is he wants to say. And, unfortunately, it seems like he has a lot to say.

“So, you said you had a question for me?” Castiel asks, hoping to accelerate the process.

“Oh, yeah! I’ve asked Sammy to get an Internet license to marry us, you see? But, I will also need a best man, Cas. You’re my best friend, the only person besides Sam that I could ever think of asking. What do you say?”

Somewhere, in a very dark corner of his angelic mind, there’s a dream-Dean that’s just asked a dream-Castiel to marry him. And of course, dream-Castiel has said yes, and they’re all happy and emotional and hugging and kissing and…

“Cas?” Dean says in a small voice, effectively yanking him out of his daydream proposal.

“Of course Dean, I’m sorry, you took me by surprise, I am… honoured… that you’d ask me.” he finally replies with the best smile he can offer under the circumstances.

Dean is so glad of his friend’s response that he jumps on him and hugs the life out of him. Well not really, mainly because he’s an angel, but he still squeezes him as hard as he can.

“Thanks Cas, you’re the best! Wanna come and see the bride to be?”

“Well, I know who…”

“Come on, she’ll be glad to see you, it’s been a while. Oh, and I have to tell you, Sammy knows this already but since we’re getting married we won’t be seeing other people anymore. You won’t be able to ride with us but you have a car now, so… How’s that goin’ by the way?” Dean asks, waggling his eyebrows.

“Well… going fine, thank you. Don't you worry, I will not be intruding in your couple’s dynamics. I would never dare.”

Castiel is more worried than ever. He needs to see the car. Now!

“Let’s go then, I can’t wait to congratulate the fiancée.” he says, a bit too brightly. He might argue that he duped his friends before if they call him a bad liar, but he very well knows he’s generally awful at it. He even has trouble convincing himself right now. But Dean doesn’t see any of it and just takes him by the wrist and pulls him to the garage.

Cas doesn’t even need to get into the garage to _know_ that something’s wrong. When he sees Baby, he’s almost blinded by the light emanating from her. Of course, Dean doesn’t see this, he is totally oblivious. He quickly walks to her, putting a hand on the roof and caressing it as he would of a lover’s back.

“Come on Cas, come say hi!”

But Castiel can’t move. His eyes have regained focus quickly after almost being blinded and what he sees now scares him a whole lot. The car, the one he’s always known as Baby, is bathed in a hot pink glow. It’s not an aura, it’s not a soul either, but at the same time it looks like a bit of both. The scariest part is certainly how that glow now twirls around Dean’s wrist, creeping up on his arm, engulfing the man in its glimmer.

“I… Hello Baby!” Castiel says loudly, unable to take a single step towards the car. He sees the glow shift towards him, as if it had heard him. Apparently, it knows what he is because the pink quickly transforms into a darker shade of red. It doesn’t like him.

“Cas, you could at least come closer. She’s not gonna bite you, you know!” Dean berates him, visibly annoyed.

“Of course, I know! Baby and I are friends. Aren’t we?” he dares ask the car while walking slowly towards her, as if she was a dangerous animal.

The more Castiel gets closer, the more agitated the shimmer seems to get, oscillating between bright magentas and bloody reds. The closer he gets, the more Dean gets engulfed in the car’s glowing aura. All Castiel wants to do now is push his friend out of the way and destroy the car. But even a non-enchanted Dean would never let this happen.

“I don’t know what’s going on Cas. She… I think you should just leave, alright? She’s pretty upset.”

“Ok. I’m sorry for upsetting you, Baby. I wish you both all the best.” he says, wondering where he found the will to do so.

Castiel gladly turns away, almost running to get out of the garage. The further he can be from the glowing machine and its boyfriend’s cooings, the better he’ll feel. He has to find Sam right away.

 

*****

 

“What do you mean she’s haunted?” Sam gasps at Castiel’s news. They had left the bunker in order to talk freely, having lunch at the boys’ favourite diner in town.

“That she’s hunted…” Castiel just replies, his eyebrows in a knot.

“Yeah, but how?”

“Well this, I don’t know yet. It didn’t have a regular ghost vibe.”

“Can inanimate objects have souls?”

“Don’t ask stupid questions, Sam. Of course they can’t.” he huffs.

“No need to snap at me, man! I’m just as freaked out as you are!”

“Are you really? Did you and your brother ever make up?”

“That’s… That has nothing to do with anything. He’s still my brother, man!”

“If you say so! Anyways, about souls and inanimate objects, no it’s not possible. But, it doesn’t mean inanimate objects can’t be possessed.”

“Like Baby is…”

“Exactly. Except, I’ve seen object possession before and it has never looked like that. We’ll need to research this.”

“Of course. I kind of tried but, I really didn’t have anything to go on.”

“You could have brought an EMF in the garage to…”

“Really, Cas? I wonder how Dean would have reacted to me scanning his _girl_.”

“Sorry, you are right. But, we’ll have to be careful. Whatever is possessing Baby seemed to recognize me, or what I am. And it did not like me.”

“Did it try to harm you?”

“No, but it seems to be able to communicate with Dean, share its feelings or something. It wraps itself around Dean whenever he’s close.”

“The car wraps itself…”

“Really, Sam?”

“Oh! You mean the entity!”

Castiel doesn’t feel he should need to answer but nods anyway.

“We’ll have to get Dean to leave the bunker to examine the car.” Castiel says, determined to try and communicate with the thing haunting Baby, or at least try and identify it.

“I’m pretty sure Dean won’t go anywhere without her now.”

“I don’t know, you both could go take a walk or something.”

“Do you even know Dean?”

“We can’t very well kidnap him… can we?” Castiel asks, half serious.

“Well… that could be one way to do this. Or you could just, you know, _tzzzzz_ …” Sam says, bringing two fingers to his forehead.

“Indeed, I could _tzzzzz_ him, like you say. We’d have enough time to check on the car.”

“Great. When do we do this?”

“As soon as we come back. I don’t know what that thing could be doing to him.”

 

*****

 

When they come back to the bunker, Sam calls out to his brother, hoping he hadn’t gone for a _romantic drive_ with his fiancée. He's relieved to hear him call back to him.

“Sorry, I was… hum… spending time with my girl.” he says when he joins them in the library, all dishevelled, flushed and sweating.

Castiel and Sam look at each other, both alarmed and confused. No! Dean could not have been… There was no way, was there? That’s when Sam sees the black smear near Dean’s mouth.

“Ooooh… Dean…!” he can only breathe, his heart breaking.

“What?”

“You have… a little something here!” Castiel says, pointing to his own face.

Dean wipes his hand on his face and looks back at it. He sees the dark trace of motor oil staining his fingers.

“Oh! Oops!” he laughs, blushing. “Sorry guys, you weren’t here and we… well… we kind of got carried away!” he adds with a sheepish smile.

Even though at this point Castiel would very much like to punch his friend in the throat, for no reason at all of course, he instead quickly brings two fingers to his temple to send him into a dreamless slumber. Sam catches his brother before he falls on the ground and they bring him to his bedroom. He should be out of it for at least five hours.

“He had…” Sam starts, wiggling his fingers towards his face and trying hard not to gag.

“I know… I would rather not think about it. Let’s just make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“Right!”

They make their way to the garage, armed with salt and an iron rod. Just in case Cas can’t do anything against whatever that thing is. Baby is there, in her usual spot. There’s a thin yoga-like mat on the ground next to her with now extinguished candles, a six-pack of beer with three of them missing. It must have been quite romantic.

“Oh God!”

“Indeed…”

“What now? Do you still see it?” Sam asks Castiel, trying to focus on anything but his brother’s very disturbing lovelife.

“I do… and it’s not happy to see us.”

What Sam can’t see is the same glow as before but its attitude is everything but warm and loving. If when Dean was close to Baby the shades were all pinks and reds, now they’re so dark and agitated it’s difficult to pinpoint an actual colour. Its darkened purples, reds, oranges and blues, all flicking between subtle tints to deep blacks. It is pissed.

 _"GO AWAY! DEAN! HELP!"_ Castiel suddenly hears. Actually, he rather feels the words it’s emanating since the thing doesn’t really have a voice.

 _“IDENTIFY YOURSELF!”_ he sends back, as loud as he can make his mind be.

Sam turns to Castiel and sees him in what looks like some kind of weird staring contest with the car. Clearly, they’re communicating. Not to be doing nothing, he starts the EMF meter and points it to the car, only to see all the lights flare up before the machine dies in his hand.

 _"I AM BABY!"_ the ethereal creature replies, just as loud.

 _“I know Baby and you’re not her. You are the thing possessing her. What are you?”_ Castiel says again, but not screaming this time. He sees the light creature waver.

_“I am Baby! That’s how Dean calls me. Dean loves me. I love Dean. ”_

_“What were you before?”_ Castiel asks again, getting closer.

_“I never was anything else. I have always been Baby. And I have always loved Dean. Tell me where he is.”_

Castiel sees the shimmer lose some of its darkness. Its colours are still dusky, but a bit more light gets through. Castiel takes a chance and gets a bit closer, hoping he’ll be able to use his grace to soothe the entity.

 _“What are you?”_ he asks again, softer this time.

_“I am a 1967 Chevy Impala. My name is Baby. Dean loves me. Where is he?”_

_“Do you remember who had you before?”_

_“What do you mean?”_

_“Before you were Dean’s Impala, do you remember who was your owner?”_

_“I was never owned. And I’ve only ever been with Dean. Why isn’t he here with you?”_

_“Since when were you with Dean?”_

_“For as long as I can remember. Tell me where is Dean!”_

Castiel is finally next to the car and he takes a deep (unnecessary) breath before putting his hand on the hood. He only has time to tickle the incandescence with his grace before getting violently thrown to the opposing wall, landing in a thankfully empty parking spot.

“Cas!” Sam yells, running to him.

“Don’t get near the car, Sam.”

“I’m not going near it ever again. She… she fucking sent you flying, Cas!”

“It wasn’t the car that did this.”

“I know, but I don’t see what you see so for me, it’s still the car.”

“Let’s just get out of here. I have seen enough!”

 

*****

 

Dean is still sleeping and his brother and best friends are in the library, trying to find everything they can about ghosts.

“But, I didn’t feel cold, and what you describe doesn’t sound like your typical ghost.” Sam tries to argue.

“It isn’t your typical ghost. When I touched it with my grace, I couldn’t feel anything remotely spectral about it. Not in the usual sense anyway.”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, first, it doesn’t seem like it ever was alive. Not Baby, but the thing possessing it. So, it’s not your typical back-from-the-grave-lets-salt-and-burn-it ghost.”

“So, it’s not a ghost.”

“Oh, but it is, that’s the most confusing thing about it. What I see in the garage is a sort of aura-spirit-creature that’s shrouding the car. But it doesn’t seem to have a shape of its own, not that of a person or a supernatural being. It really does believe it is Baby.”

“So what? Don’t tell me we gotta salt and burn Baby? Because…”

“Oh no, I wouldn’t dream of it. Anyway, the car is not the problem, it’s the entity attached to it. As soon as we know what it is, we’ll be able to get rid of it.”

“Any clue?”

“Not really, the only thing I can say is that it’s new. Like… a newborn kind of thing. Since when has Dean been acting this way?”

“To be honest, I wouldn’t really know. We’ve kind of each been doing our own thing lately.” Sam answers, keeping his eyes on the computer screen in front of him. “I don’t think we had really talked for… hum… 4 or 5 days.”

Castiel sighs and shakes his head.

“You boys need to get your act together. Both of you!” Castiel adds, seeing that Sam was ready to start justifying himself.

“So, how do we find a newborn ghost? Should we check on dead kids or something?”

“Of course not. When I say new, I mean it never was human.”

“How is that even possible?”

“I don’t know, Sam. I really don’t know.”

They keep researching until they hear Dean coming in, grunting.

“What happened to me?”

“I don’t know, you just kinda passed out.” Sam answers.

“I made sure you were ok and then you went on sleeping.” Castiel adds with a smile.

“Urg... I feel like crap! Like a hangover. Did I drink?”

“Dunno. You didn’t look drunk when we came in earlier.” Sam answers.

Dean grunts again and pads to the kitchen, probably in search of coffee.

“Cas, I think I found something.” Sam whispers, keeping an eye on the library’s entrance.

“What?”

“Have you ever heard of artificial ghosts?”

“Artificial? How can they be artificial?”

“Read this.” Sam says, turning his computer for Cas to see.

Sam kind of panics when he hears his brother coming out of the kitchen but thankfully, he’s going towards the garage instead of the library so they’re ok for now. Still, he thinks they should pick everything up and move to his bedroom.

“Come on Cas, we’ll take the books and the computer to my room, I’m feeling very uneasy to do this here. If he comes back and sees this…”

“Of course, let’s go.”

They had just brought everything to Sam’s room when they hear Dean’s loud steps coming to the door. He doesn’t even knock and just violently opens the door.

“What the fuck did you do to Baby?” he yells out.

“What? Nothing! What are you talking about?”

“She’s all stressed out and shivering and scared shitless. What the fuck did you guys say to her?”

“Nothing!”

“She TOLD me you guys were in the garage! Now I know she wouldn’t lie to me.”

Sam and Castiel look at each other, not sure how to address the situation. Of course, Dean is right, they had been to the garage and had spoken to “Baby”.

“It’s my fault, Dean!” Sam just blurts. Their relationship was already very strained, it’s not like this would make it much worse.

“What did you do?”

“Nothing. I went in the garage with Cas to look at the cars there and maybe choose one for myself, you know?”

“She wouldn’t be spooked about that.”

Sam looks at his brother, then at Cas who’s observing Dean in the most interesting fashion. It gives him an idea but he can’t really ask the angel to cooperate beforehand so he risks it, hoping the other will follow his lead.

“Well, I forgot she was there and asked Cas if he was alright with you getting married and all. She must have heard us talking about it.”

He sees Castiel’s posture waver in the corner of his eye and prays he won’t deny it. As for the angel, he receives Sam’s words like a stab in the heart. He understands why Sam has done it and he knows he has to assent to his friend’s words. Even if he would rather not have said anything. Ever.

“Why would he care?” Dean just asks, eyes squinted.

“Well… probably for the reason I thought you wanted me to marry you two?”

Dean and Castiel turn to each other, eyes wide. While Castiel presses his lips together, unsure of how he should react, Dean just guffaws, tilting his head back and clutching at his belly. _“It’s not that funny.”_ Castiel thinks to himself, not willing to admit aloud how hurtful he finds Dean’s reaction.

“Come on, Dean! It’s not that funny!” Sam reprimands his brother.

“Yeah, it is!” Dean succeeds to says between fits of laughter.

“Why?” Castiel can’t help but ask, spiteful.

“Cas, you’re an angel! All lights and intent and whatnot! And you’re a dude! And you’re always gone.” he answers, his laughter having subsided fairly quickly.

“I see. So you’d rather be intimate with a unisex, soulless, inanimate, cold metallic object than entertain the thought of loving a living male entity? Enjoy your life with _her_ then.” Castiel almost screams at him before leaving the room.

Both brothers are dumbfounded, their eyes riveted to the door that remained open after the angel’s hasty retreat. After a couple of minutes, Sam is able take a look at his brother, worried to see how pissed he must be. Surprisingly enough, he’s just looking at the door, seemingly deep in thought.

“I didn’t know…” Dean finally says after a while, keeping his eyes where the angel had been.

“You’re the only one…” Sam can only answer, even though he himself had never been entirely sure.

“Fuck!” mutters Dean before leaving the room.

 

*****

 

It takes Sam about an hour to assemble the courage to look for Castiel. He finds him easily, moping in the darkness of his own room. Of course, Cas doesn’t really need to have the lights on to see but it is just fitting that he’d be all gloomy in a dark corner. Sam stays in the doorway, unsure if he should come in or not. He’s about to speak when the lights come on.

“How did you know?” is all Castiel says, not looking at Sam.

“I didn’t. Well, I wasn’t sure. I’m sorry, I didn’t think, it just came out.” walking in to come near the bed.

“Now anything we’d want to warn him about the car will be taken as jealousy. Anything from me anyways.”

“He knows you wouldn’t do that.”

“Does he? He knows Baby’s a car, yet it’s totally natural for him to be intimate with it. Until we get rid of the thing haunting Baby, there’s nothing we can do. It has too much power over Dean.”

“We’ll find a way. I promise.” Sam smiles, putting a comforting hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“So, what about that artificial ghost you were telling me about earlier?” Castiel replies, wishing to stop thinking about his own broken heart.

“Yeah, so… I read that ghosts can somewhat be created.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“I would have thought so too, but bare with me. There have been studies on the subject and apparently, they were able to create entities, or ghosts, that would be totally made up. As in their name, history, apparence, everything. Like, a bunch of people participated in a seance, all trying to summon the same non existent ghost, and it just appeared.”

“I doubt that Dean would have participated in such a thing.”

“No, I know. I’m not saying that’s what’s happening exactly but, Dean’s not been doing so good.”

“I’m glad you noticed.” quips Castiel.

“Look, we have our issues ok? Doesn’t mean I don’t care about him.”

“I know. But clearly, it’s affecting him deeply if he’s created himself a ghost.”

“You think that’s possible at all?”

“I don’t know. If anything, it’s not really a ghost. It’s something else entirely.”

“Ok… whatever it is, what do you think should be done about it?”

“We probably should read more on the subject but I’m afraid that if Dean was the one to create the thing, then only him would be able to get rid of it.”

“Wow… that would be… total crap…” mumbles Sam.

“Indeed… It would…”

 

*****

 

Dean doesn’t come back to Sam’s room again, which gives him and Castiel the liberty to research at will. Even when Sam, who hadn’t slept at all the night before, falls asleep with his nose in a book, Castiel goes on reading, counter-verifying facts on the internet with the books and his own (pretty extensive) knowledge. Everything points to what Sam had called an artificial ghost. But nothing is truly reliable, the information about it being very sparse.

Castiel, as an angel, could try and smite the entity. Sadly, the fact that it’s probably Dean’s doing, it might just come back until Dean himself decides to get rid of it. He wonders if making things better between the brothers could help in any way. Because clearly, it had been created out of hurt, sadness and loneliness. It had to be the manifestation of Dean’s fear of being alone. Dean had lost so many people already, if he lost Sam he would likely not survive it. Hence him clutching to Baby, the only other remaining constant in his life.

The angel tries to think how he could make his friend’s life full again. Of course, mending his relationship with his brother was the most obvious thing. But then, would it be enough? Should he try to convince his friend Charlie to come back from Oz? Maybe he should go find the Braedens again, make them come back into Dean’s life. Or maybe someone else. He could try and talk to Dean, see if there’s anyone he would want back in his life, an old girlfriend or even Benny, Castiel doesn’t care anymore. He just wants to get rid of that thing obviously set on consuming his best friend.

He closes the computer lid delicately, not to wake up Sam, then walks out of the room. He needs some air because he feels confined right now, like the walls are closing in on him. He thinks again of his wings and how greatly he misses them. Flying would make him so happy, he’d feel free again, he would metaphorically breathe again. He would fly high and far, try and forget everything about Dean Winchester, if only for a couple of hours.

He’s so lost in his mind that he doesn’t hear Dean calling from behind him right before he opens the door to step outside. It’s the middle of the night but he certainly doesn’t care. All he needs is an illusion of space. So he gets on the hood of his car and gazes upward, making sure that he can see nothing but the starry sky. No bunker, no tree tops, no posts and wires, nothing but his Father’s marvelous celestial tapestry.

He hears the steps on the gravel path leading to the car but he doesn’t look. He knows who it is and he honestly doesn’t know how to address him right now. Not after his outburst earlier. Maybe he’s coming to tell him to leave, after what he said about his car… his _fiancée_.

“I thought you were leaving.” Dean says when he gets close enough.

“I will if that’s what you want.” Castiel answers, not looking at him.

“No! Shit! That’s not what I mean at all. I’m… I’m glad you didn’t leave.”

“Even after everything I said about _her_?”

“Look man… I didn’t know, I swear. I just thought Sam was being a jerk.”

Castiel exhales loudly. This is far from helping, he’s starting to feel as confined as he had been inside the bunker. It’s even worse when the car dips a bit and he feels Dean’s warm body lie next to him.

“Scooch over!” Dean groans, obviously determined to _not_ leave Castiel alone.

Still, the angel obliges, making sure he’ll be far enough not too feel any of his friend’s warmth. Even if that’s all he really wants. If Dean notices, he doesn’t say a thing about it. They’re in a weird place right now, better not to be ruffling any feathers.

“Talk to me, Cas.” Dean says after a while, his eyes also locked to the skies above.

“I don’t know what you would like me to say, Dean.”

“Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

“About what? Me having feelings for you? What would have been the purpose of that?”

“How about knowing if I felt the same?”

“I know you don’t, Dean. And that’s alright, I’ve made my peace with it.”

“You don’t get to tell me how I feel, Cas!” growls Dean.

“I know, I’m sorry. Fine then… do you?” the angel asks, finally turning his gaze towards the hunter.

“I… maybe I would… but now… there’s Baby, you know?” Dean sputters, not looking at his friend.

“Of course. So what you’re telling me is that I am too late?”

“Cas, I…”

That’s when the angel decides he’s had enough. The stupid Impala, the stupid feuding brothers, his own stupid feelings, his stupid best friend who pretty much just told him he could have loved him had he said something earlier. So he just grabs Dean’s face to turn it towards him and crashes their mouths together.

Castiel’s first thought is that he’s ruined everything. Dean’s lips aren’t responding and they both stay there, connected by their mouths, unmoving. A million thoughts a second go through the angel’s mind but one screams louder than all the others. It’s a single idea, like a prayer, repeated over and over. _“Please be mine! Please be mine! Please be mine!”_

That’s when a deep rumble escapes from Dean’s throat and his lips start moving. They’re tentative, and trembling, but they’re moving. Castiel responds the best he can, following Dean’s lead. It’s all little nibbles and suckles, the tips of their tongues meeting but never intruding in each other’s mouth. It’s sweet. Like a hello and a goodbye all at once.

Dean is the one to pull away and Castiel has to control himself not to chase his lips down. The hunter brings his hand to his friend’s stubbled cheek and gives him a sad smile.

“I’m sorry, Cas… I really am.” he says before getting off the car and going back inside.

“So am I…” Castiel breathes to the heavens above.

 

*****

 

When Sam sees Castiel in the library in the morning, he’s instantly worried. His friend looks even worse than he did the night before and, frankly, he can’t think of anything that could have made things worse at this point.

“Cas?” he asks. “Is everything ok?”

“What do you think, Sam? Of course it’s not!” the angel spits.

“Woah, ok! Just tell me what’s wrong.”

“You’re wrong!” the angel growls, fire in his eyes. “You’re wrong, your brother’s wrong, I’m wrong, everything’s wrong. How do you not see this?”

Sam is taken aback. He’s always known Castiel to be cool and collected, well, mostly. But he was never temperamental. Not as an angel anyways.

“I know, you’re right, we’re… wrong. But what happened between last night and this morning that would make you go all…”

“Crazy? Is that what you were going to say, Sam?”

“Of course not… Cas, what’s going on?”

“I kissed your brother and was rejected, that’s what happened. I kind of thought that a real person loving him could help but… I was wrong! I’m too late, Sam!”

“Too late? Too late for what?”

“Dean says I’m too late. He’s got Baby now.”

“Oh, Cas… I’m so sorry.”

“You should be, it’s all your fault!”

“What?”

“I know what you told him! You abandoned him, Sam!”

“What about you, Cas? Where were _you_?

“He doesn’t want me, he wants you! It’ll always be you!”

“Don’t you see that’s exactly the problem? We shouldn’t be depending on each other like that, it’s not healthy.”

“He raised you, Sam!”

“Well, kids have to leave the nest at some point.”

“What are you still doing here then, Sammy?” Sam and Castiel hear from behind them.

They were so caught up in their argument that they hadn’t heard Dean approaching. He’s looking at both of them, arms crossed on his chest, a bitter expression on his face. When his brother doesn’t answer, he speaks again.

“Are you guys fighting over little ol’ me?” he asks, clearly unamused despite the humorous tone he uses.

“No Dean, that’s not…” Sam starts to say.

“Shut the fuck up! Now both of you will listen to me. I was wondering what kind of bug had crawled up your asses, but I can see now what it is. It’s pure and simple jealousy. I finally found my happy ending and neither of you can seem to deal with that. But I will NOT let you ruin this for me, you hear? If you can’t be happy for me, for us, then you’d better leave and never come back. I’ll find someone else to celebrate our wedding and I’ll find another best man.”

Sam and Castiel look at each other, panicked. They need to do something otherwise they’ll lose him forever. The angel turns to Dean, cocks his head and smiles softly.

“Of course, Dean. I am so sorry. Please understand that I did resent Baby at first, after all she gets to have you.”

Dean swallows at Castiel’s words, but he doesn’t move or say anything. Castiel steps forward, closer to the hunter.

“I will do anything for you, you must know that. Please forgive me. And I would still love to act as your best man if you'll let me.” he says again, stepping closer to Dean.

“Only if you swear you’re ok with Baby.”

“I am Dean. I swear.” Castiel knows it’s a sin to swear, especially when you don’t mean it, but it is necessary. It gives him the leeway to approach the hunter and open his arms, offering him a hug. “Truce?” he asks, still smiling.

Sam is mesmerized by what’s happening. Castiel talking to his brother so smoothly, getting closer and closer, offering a hug that the hunter accepts without a second though. Cas zapping Dean again and catching him before he falls on the floor.

“Sam, help me. Do you have ropes or cuffs? To tie him down?”

“Well… We learned real early how to get out of those, so you won’t keep him tied up for long. But we do have the dungeon. Crowley’s gone so…”

“We’ll need to whip up something to keep him at bay.” Castiel answers, hoisting up the hunter on his shoulder like a potato sack.

“You know he’s gonna be pissed, right?”

“Of course. But I don’t think we have a choice at this point.”

“No, I know.”

Sam follows the angel and his charge (in more ways than one) to the now unoccupied dungeon. Of course, there are many restraining devices everywhere, on the walls and ceilings, even on the floor. Everything is adorned with various sigils and probably able to contain an important variety of creatures. But for a human, they won’t be more effective than your usual police shackles.

“Could you try and find some kind of spell to trap Dean in here, Sam?”

“A spell?”

“Nothing bad, just something that will prevent him from leaving the room.”

“So, you won’t be shackling him?”

“Of course I will, for now anyways. But if I ever need to leave the room, I have to be sure he won’t be able to escape, even if he gets out of his bindings.”

Sam just nods and leaves the room to look for a simple spell while Castiel tries to find the most comfortable way to tie his hunter down. He decides the old leather chair with entrapments on its arms would be the best choice, both cozy and better suited to have conversations. Better than sitting on the cold floors or dangling from the ceiling, he figures.

Castiel hates to feel the need to restrain his friend. If he thought Dean wouldn’t be willing to hear the truth before, this certainly wouldn’t be helping. That thing he has seemingly created had messed with his brain so much, maybe keeping him from it for a while might help put things in perspective a bit.

Sam comes back quickly with a trapping spell. Castiel takes a quick look and deems it to be effective and, of course, safe.

“You won’t be able to come in the room though!” Cas tells Sam, making sure he understands. “If you come in after the spell is cast, you’ll be trapped. I wouldn’t want your brother to hurt you.”

“He wouldn’t, would he?”

“Oh, I’m sure he would. He’s not himself. The more time he spent with Baby, the more the entity could have messed with his mind.”

“If you say so… but… Cas, before I go… I just want to say, I’m sorry man. I really am.”

“I know. I’m sorry too.” Castiel only replies, his eyes staying on Dean’s sleeping form.

“What I mean is… I’m sorry I said anything to Dean. And I kinda lied too. I had sort of guessed you liked him. I wasn’t sure, but I still kinda knew.”

“I figured that much.”

“But I swear, I’ve always sensed the same from Dean. I really thought you guys would end up together at some point, you know?”

“We’ll never know now, will we?” Castiel sighs.

“ _Que serà serà_ , I guess…”

Castiel breathes a laugh at the idiom. He didn’t tell Sam, but he knew what would happen. He’d make Dean better, then he’d leave. He’d still be their friend, of course, but instead of a prayer, he’d be a phone call away. If they need help and he’s in position to do so, he will gladly come back and help. And that’ll be it for his adventures with the Winchester brothers.

“You alright, Cas?”

“I am, Sam. Don’t worry.”

“It’s just… you’ve seemed pretty emotional the past few days. Plus you’ve been getting tired, which you never used to do before. I thought you were an angel again.”

“It’s the borrowed, or rather stolen, grace. It reacts differently than my own, that’s all. It’s like I’m very much human in some ways I’m afraid.”

“So you get hungry, and tired, and…”

“No, no, not to that extent. Well, I do get a bit tired but I still recharge quickly. Never hungry and that's good because, you know, nothing tastes good anymore. It’s more on an emotional level I guess. And the last days with Dean have been… emotionally charged, to put it simply.”

“Have I known, I would never have said anything.”

“Don’t worry about it, Sam. We’re good.” Castiel responds with a smile. “Maybe you should get out now, I shall perform the spell before your brother wakes up.”

“Sure thing. But I’ll stay close if that’s ok.”

“You might not want to be here for this. Just go and if there’s anything, I’ll call you.”

“Oh… ok then. Be careful, Cas!”

Castiel nods and quickly starts on the ritual for the trapping spell. It’s their last chance to do things right. Otherwise they might have to kill Baby.

 

*****

 

The angel has underestimated the power of his nap-zapper because it takes Dean about another hour after the spell is cast to wake up. As an experienced hunter, his eyes don’t even need to be open to know something’s wrong and he’s already trying to get out of the shackles.

“Wha… shit! What the fuck!” he mutters, his voice thick with sleep.

“Hello Dean!”

“Cas? What’s goin’ on?” he spits at the angel, his eyes finally open.

“Please, calm down, I’ll explain.”

“Calm down? I’m fucking tied to a chair. Help me!”

“We need to talk, Dean. But you need to calm down first.”

“Fuck you!” Dean hisses, trying to rock his body out of the chair. He only succeeds in tipping the chair over to the side, but Cas quickly prevents him from falling.

“You’ll only hurt yourself, Dean!”

“Have you gone evil or what? You possessed? _Christo_!” he says, but nothing happens.

“I’ll explain everything to you, but not before you calm down.”

“SAMMY!” Dean screams instead, convinced their angel friend has gone rogue or something.

“He won’t come. Dean, we’re worried about you and there are things you need to know. But you won’t listen.”

“Is it about Baby? Thought you said you were cool with it.”

“I lied.”

“You really are a dick angel like the others, aren’t you?” Dean spits at his friend, furious.

“Right now, I don’t care what you think of me. What’s important is that you need to know that there’s something wrong with you.”

“No there’s not.”

“I won’t get into an argumentation with you right now. When you’re ready to hear what it is I have to say, you tell me. But in the meantime, just let me know if you are thirsty, or hungry. I’ll fetch you something.”

“I kinda am thirsty. I’d love a beer.” Dean says after a while, his stare a defiant one.

“I’ll get you some water instead, if you don’t mind.” he answers before leaving the room. He takes his time, very well knowing Dean will be trying to escape. He might as well give him time to try properly.

When he comes back, he can see he was right and he has to be impressed on how easily Dean seems to have unshackled himself. Still, he keeps his face impassive, not wanting to seem fascinated nor victorious. He comes in and sets down a plastic jug full of ice water and a plastic cup. That’s when he sees the smears of blood on the shackles attached to the chair. There’s a lot of it and for one tiny second, he’s worried Dean might have chewed out his hand to get out of it.

“Thanks Cas!” he hears Dean say before being violently hit by a bright light.

Dean has used the one weapon they hadn’t counted on. He effectively sent Cas flying out with the angel banishing sigil. When he comes to, he’s in the middle of nowhere. Well not really, as it’s a nowhere he recognizes. Probably because he’s seen it numerous times while flying over it. The Grand Canyon. What a marvelous place to land in. He’s a little sad to think he won’t have time enjoy it at this very moment.

Thankfully, Castiel has his phone in his pocket and, yes, it is almost fully charged. Even better, he seems to have coverage. There’s a big plus for landing in a tourists attraction. He selects Sam’s number in his contacts and waits for him to answer, a bit anxious of what his friend’s reaction will be.

“Cas?” Sam answers, audibly confused.

“Hello Sam!”

“You know you could just have yelled my name or something, I would have heard you.”

“Somehow, I doubt it. I’m at the Grand Canyon.”

“What?”

“The big hole in the ground?”

“No, I know what the Grand Canyon is Cas… but… how?”

“I went to get water for your brother, thinking I’d let him try to escape so he could see it was impossible. When I came back…”

“Banishing sigil?”

“Banishing sigil.”

“I kinda feel like I should congratulate you on a job well done!”

“You are being sarcastic, aren’t you?”

“Just a little. So, you can’t fly back, can you?”

“You know I can’t.”

“Ok, let me see what I can do. I’ll call you back.”

“Thank you, Sam.”

While he waits, Castiel decides it shouldn’t be a problem to get to the closest viewing point and just admire his Father’s work. The starry skies were marvelous, but Earth’s wonders such as this one were just as magnificent. He has just made it to the viewing point when his phone rings.

He is tempted to ignore it for now, just so he can revel in the sight before him. But of course, he can’t, so he picks up, keeping his stare in the distance.

“So, where did you land?”

It’s not Sam, but rather Dean who’s calling him. He sounds pretty pleased with himself.

“Grand Canyon.”

“Cool. You always wanted to go there.”

“I did. But not right now.”

“Well, that’ll teach you to try and kidnap me.”

“I didn’t kidnap you, Dean. You’re still in the bunker.”

“Yeah, about that! How do I get out?”

“You can’t.”

“But I kind of want to, you see?”

“Not until we’ve talked, Dean. And you only have yourself to blame if we’re not doing that right now.”

“What’s your fucking problem, dude?” Dean spits, less calm now.

“You and the fact that you can’t see how marvelous you are. You had to go and create a spectral entity to make sure you won’t end up alone.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Cas?”

“Baby! It’s a car! An inanimate object. But now it’s possessed and the thing is messing with your head.”

“You’re wrong.” Deans growls.

“Sadly, I’m not.”

“You’re jealous I picked her over you.”

“I’m hanging up now, I’ll see you later. Just think twice about using the sigil again, alright? Not that I mind that much, but the more you use it, the longer you’ll stay where you are.”

“Fuck you!”

Castiel hangs up, not giving into Dean’s blatant provocation. He might be a tad more emotional than before, but he’s certainly not stupid enough to fall for it. His phone rings again soon after, but this time he checks before answering. He exhales a sigh of relief when he sees Sam’s name come up on the screen.

“Hello Sam!”

“Hey Cas! So, here’s what you’re gonna do. Well, first, do you have any form of identification on you? And money?”

“Yes. I have the driver’s license Dean had made for me. And the FBI badge.”

“No need for the FBI badge. The driver’s license is good enough. What’s the name on that again? And how about money?”

“Let me check.” Castiel replies, fumbling with the black leather wallet Dean had given him. “Castiel Novak. And I found $34.”

“Ok, you have enough for the shuttle. Actually, forget this, I’ll use the credit card when I make the reservation.”

“The reservation?”

“Yeah, you need a reservation to get on the shuttle that’ll bring you to Flagstaff. From there, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to take the Greyhound bus. It’ll take almost a full day to get to Newton, where I’ll pick you up.”

“Do you mean to tell me it will roughly take me two days to get back home?”

“Yeah…”

“That’s ridiculous!”

“We don’t have wings, Cas, that’s how humans do it.”

“But you have planes. Why should I take the bus? Certainly I’d get there much faster.”

“You would… I just… it’s friggin’ expensive man.”

“Are you using your own money?”

“No, but…”

“Please, it can’t take two days.”

“Fine!” Sam breathes in the phone. “I’ll call you back with the final details but you might as well enjoy the place while you’re there. Do you see the Grand Canyon from where you are?”

“Staring right at it. It is outstanding, Sam.”

“I bet. So, there are three pick-up locations for the shuttle. Are you anywhere near a village of some sort?”

“There are buildings close by, yes.”

“Excellent, you must be close to Maswik Lodge then. You’ll have to check in no later than 6pm, I’m booking your ticket right now. Just, don’t get lost until then, alright?”

“I’m not a child, Sam!”

“I know. It’s just… you know, time and schedules, not sure it’s your thing.”

“Whatever. Just make sure I can come back by plane.”

Castiel hangs up, slightly insulted. How dare he berate him about getting lost and keeping schedules. He is an angel of the Lord, after all, older than the Earth he’s walking on, older than its sun and its moon. This is probably why he will never admit to anyone, especially not Sam, that he almost misses his check-in time he is so lost in his own mind, gazing at the panorama in front of him. Nobody will ever know that he had to run all the way back to the pick-up station to get there in time.

 

*****

 

When he gets off the bus in Salina, KS, close to 24 hours later, Sam is already waiting for him. Of course, he took Cas’ Continental and not the Impala, which was a wise choice under the circumstances.

“So, how was the plane ride?”

“Long, boring, noisy…”

“I’m glad you appreciate the effort then.” Sam huffs.

“Sorry, I do. I just hadn’t realised how much more frustrating it would be to be flying without actually flying, you know?”

“I guess. Let’s go home.”

“And how’s Dean?”

“Frankly, I haven’t seen him.”

“Really?”

“Really… I almost did at one point, he sounded so desperate but I realised that it’s probably when he’d be the most dangerous.”

“I would agree.”

“But… I think that he was crying at some point, you know?”

“Crying? Dean?”

“Yeah… Well, you know, he can shed a tear here and there but, I swear I heard him sobbing.”

“Let’s go home Sam!”

The ride back to the bunker takes less than 2 hours and Sam hasn’t even stopped the car that Cas is already out and running towards the door.

“Dean?” he calls when he gets to the archiving room, but stays outside. “Dean!” he calls again, louder.

“What?”

“Can I come and talk to you? Or will you send me away again?”

“You’re as pig-headed as I am so, no, I won’t send you away again. Like you said, you’ll keep me here until we talk, so let's talk.”

Dean’s voice is rough, throaty, as if he had spent the night screaming. Or crying. Maybe he really had been having a tough time.

“Before I come in, are you hungry? Thirsty?”

“Nope! I just want to get this over with.”

Castiel is not prepared for what he sees when he finally comes back in the dungeon room. Not only does Dean look tired, but he looks sick too. He’s certainly not in any shape to be making any escape plan. Worried, he rushes to his side, bringing a hand up to his clammy forehead.

“Dean, what’s wrong? Are you ok?”

“Of course not! I’m a prisoner in my own home, how do you think I’m doing?” Dean breathes, ending his answer with a bitter laugh.

“Spending 24 hours in a room should not be making you sick, Dean.”

“Maybe it’s the spell you used to keep me here.”

“The spell was a safe one, I made sure of it.”

“And you’re never wrong, right?” Dean quips before doubling over, in obvious pain.

Castiel uses his grace to see what’s hurting Dean and make him better. Weirdly enough, he finds nothing. That can only mean one thing.

“I think you’re experimenting some kind of withdrawal, Dean.”

“From what? I hadn’t had a drink since yesterday but I’m not that much of an alcoholic. Am I?” he adds, a bit worried anyways.

“It’s not the alcohol, Dean. If it was, I’d feel it and I’d be able to help.”

“What then?”

“Baby…”

“Cas, come on, leave her alone. She never did anything to you.” Dean pleads his friend, his voice trembling.

“I swear Dean, I don’t have anything against Baby… but she really is possessed.”

“It’s… impossible…”

“I’m so sorry, Dean.”

“You’re lying.”

Castiel doesn’t answer but sits back, leaning against the wall with his legs extended. He brings the hunter’s head to his chest and strokes his hair softly, hoping he could help with the pain.

“You being nice to me won’t make me believe you.”

“I know… I just want you to sleep for now, you need it.”

“I need my bed… I need Baby…”

“Shhhhh, I know… sleep!” Castiel murmurs into his friend’s hair, delicately pressing fingers to his temple to make him doze off once more.

He would rather not have done this again, but the man is exhausted. The good news, or so Castiel thinks, is that spending time away from the car seems to be diminishing its power over Dean. That might be the best way to finally be able to make him understand what’s going on.

“Cas? Are you ok?” he hears from outside the room.

“Yeah Sam, we’re good. Dean’s sleeping.”

“Wow, how did you achieve that?”

“Power of persuasion and patience.”

“You used the finger-zap, didn’t you?”

“I did.” Castiel laughs.

“Good! I’m making myself a sandwich, want one?”

“No, thank you, but make one for Dean, will you? He must be starving!”

“Of course! Coming right up.”

“Thanks Sam!” he calls to the already gone brother.

Castiel looks back to Dean, even though he doesn’t see much more than the top of his head and parts of his extended body next to him. He only realises now that Dean has moved his arm to circle it around his waist. He’s not clutching at him as the hand’s only a loose fist hanging at Castiel’s side. But it feels comfortable, and he can sense Dean to be comfortable as well.

He thinks he’s being pretty selfish, enjoying the touch of his obviously sick friend while he’s out of commission. But he can’t help it. And, he didn’t put Dean’s arm there. Ok, he brought his head to his chest and petted him, but the man didn’t pull away. When he feels Dean tremble in his arms, he’s not sure why that is so he caresses his hair again. The shudders subside so he continues, glad to see he’s helping and not only being a creep.

 

*****

 

The first thing Dean sees when he opens his eyes is what looks like a Sammy-style ham sandwich, which means there’s a lot of non-meat green stuff. There are even carrot sticks for Christ’s sakes. Thankfully, there’s also BBQ chips and a bottle of Cherry Coke to wash it all down. He’s so hungry he doesn’t take time to look around the room before shoving the first half of his sandwich in his mouth, moaning in delight when he bites in the freshness of it. _“Oh, Sammy, you remembered the pickles!”_ he thinks, gleeful.

“Good?” he hears Cas say. He almost chokes on his mouthful.

“Damn, Cas, don’t scare people with food in their mouths. ‘s dangerous!” Dean finally says after gulping half his pop to help the hastily swallowed bite go down.

“Sorry, I thought you remembered I was there.”

“I just woke up, dude! And I’m hungry! The brain’s not really… functioning.”

“It seems alright.”

“Well, you pretty much jump started it by trying to kill me right there.”

“I didn’t… oh… sarcasm… I guess I did then!” Castiel retorts, offering a tentative smile.

Dean smiles back, satisfied, then goes on munching on his lunch. He might bitch about his brother’s _healthy choices_ , but he still eats everything, carrot sticks included. Both men keep silent after that, each seated against their own wall, surprisingly somewhat comfortable with each other despite the odd circumstances. Castiel wants to enjoy it a little bit more. Dean obviously wants this to be over.

“So… I slept, I ate and I drank. What now? Wanna tell me what’s going on?”

“How are you feeling?”

“Rested, sated and quenched. And impatient…”

“I mean… how about Baby?”

“This again!” Dean stiffly answers.

“Yes Dean, this again! I’m afraid it’ll kill you.”

“Baby would never kill me!”

“That’s what you need to understand, that’s not Baby out there. Car’s don’t communicate with people, they’re not alive. Baby is possessed.”

“Let’s say I believe you. Who’s possessing her?”

“That’s just it. Nobody. You created this yourself.”

“Bullshit! That’s not even possible. And, I didn’t even do anything.”

“It wasn’t on purpose, but we think the latest events might have triggered something in you.”

“So you’re saying that even a fucking car isn’t safe around Dean Winchester? That’s rich Cas, thanks for the pep talk.”

“Dean…”

“No, you know what? I get it. I can’t have anything. I don’t deserve a fucking thing. Not even the most infinite particle of happiness.”

“But…”

“Get out, Cas!”

“Are you saying you believe me?”

“For god’s sake, Cas! Get the fuck out! Go!”

Castiel doesn’t leave because he’s afraid of Dean, of course not. But he does fear _for_ him. He doesn’t really know what it is they’re dealing with, they’re pretty much flying blind right now. If Dean finally accepts that the Baby he’s in love with doesn’t exist, what will the entity become then? Will it just vanish or will it become something else, some kind of vengeful spirit for which they won’t even have bones to burn?

Before going to find Sam, Castiel goes back to the garage. He needs to see how the entity is doing, if it’s still there or if it's changed in any way. Sadly it is still there, but it did change. What he notices at first is its colour, or actually, the lack of it. Or maybe it’s the fact that it also seems much more diffuse than it was. It’s very pale, and in a cold blue hue rather than the former hot pink one. The glowing is also very subdued, producing close to no light. To Castiel, it feels like it’s dying.

 _“Help me.”_ he feels the thing send his way.

No way is he coming near the car, but he still gets a little closer, just not enough to give it access to him.

_“I’m sorry. You don’t belong here.”_

_“I belong with Dean.”_

_“You don’t. You don’t exist.”_

_“I do. I’m here. Dean loves me.”_

_“No, he doesn’t. He only thought he did.”_

The luminescence pulses erratically, it is nervous.

_“Am I dying?”_

_“I would think so.”_

_“Why?”_

_“Because your time has come. ”_

_“I can’t go. Dean needs me.”_

Castiel chooses not to answer, he doesn’t have to. The entity is not letting go, undulating softly around the car. It’s probably right when it says that Dean needs it. Castiel can’t do anything at this point but wish his friend will soon realise, and accept, that Baby is only a car. He hears the garage door open but nobody comes in.

“Cas? Is it safe to come in?” Sam calls to him.

“It is, Sam. She’s still here, but much weaker now.”

Sam comes over to his friend and sits on the floor, next to him. Even without being able to see the consciousness haunting his brother’s car, he can feel how sullen the mood has gotten.

“Is it still talking to you?” he asks after some time.

“She hasn’t said anything for a while now. She knows it’s the end of the road for her.”

“Since when do you refer to the thing as a “she”?”

“She might be artificial, but her feelings are still true. Love, pain, fear… I think she deserves that kind of respect in the end, don’t you think?”

“Maybe…”

“But she’s holding on.”

“Which means Dean is?”

“Exactly. Do you have your EMF, Sam?”

“I do.” he responds, taking the meter out of his back pocket. He turns it on and this time, it doesn’t falter, the alarm goes off while the indicator slightly oscillates in the red zone.

“Can you turn the sound off? I’d like you to just monitor its activity while I’m gone, but I’d think the noise would quickly become unbearable.”

“Yeah, I can. Where are you going?”

“Back to your brother. He needs to let go, and I need to help him.”

“Maybe I should…”

“Sam, I’m sorry, but I don’t think you could help at this point. Not without committing yourself to be something you obviously, and rightfully, do not wish to be.”

Seeing the taller man’s obviously confused expression, Castiel tries to find another way to explain what he means. He finds it to be difficult, pretty much everything he thinks of could easily come out as a critique or an accusation of some sort. He tries anyway.

“Dean’s fear of abandonment and loneliness has spawned the predicament we’re facing right now. Would you promise your brother that you would never leave him? Or would you even just forgive him for thinking he could do anything to keep you safe?”

“Would you never leave him?” Sam replies without answering the angel’s questions.

“I fell for him before… and I’d do it again. I would do anything.”

Sam just nods, silently. He knows this to be true. He knows that Castiel’s devotion to his brother knows no boundaries. He himself still has some, there are things he would never do. And of those things, he didn’t know when he’d find a way to forgive having them done to him.

Castiel stands up and gently squeezes Sam’s shoulder before leaving the garage. Dean might have told him to leave him alone but he can’t bare the idea of leaving his friend alone while his world, even if fabricated, is crumbling around him.

He hears the crashing sound right when he gets to the end of the long hall where the archiving room is. Castiel’s first thought is to remember if there are any windows in the dungeon, but of course not, there aren’t. He starts walking faster. Then he remembers the water jug and cup, but both are plastic, and it sounded more like glass breaking. He starts to run when he remembers the plate that held the sandwich. Ceramic!

“Dean, stop!” he yells before even getting in the room. He doesn’t know if he’s doing anything, the plate breaking could be an accident, but he’s not taking any chances.

He’s only half right. The plate breaking was clearly not an accident, but Dean hasn’t done anything yet. He’s sitting on the floor, pretty much in the same position as before, a big pointy shard of the plate in his hand. On his opposing wrist, just a little bloody nick. Either he stopped when he heard Castiel or he had trouble going through with it. Which ever it was, the angel would not leave the room again, not for a while.

“Told you to go away, Cas!” breathes Dean in forms of greeting.

“I don’t really care.”

“Look, I can’t even kill myself I’m that useless.” he laughs falsely, extending his wrist for Castiel to see.

“I could argue you can’t kill yourself because you don’t want to die.”

“Don’t try and psychoanalyse me, man!”

“I’m not…”

“Whatever…”

Castiel sits on the floor but this time, he choses to stay close to his friend instead of an opposing wall. He is very tempted to take the shard from Dean’s hand but he figures it might not be the best move right about now. Anyways, it’s not as if he could kill the angel with it. And if he turned it against himself, Cas would just heal him, so there’s no point.

Dean must have have that same thought process because he throws the ceramic shard on the wall where it breaks in smaller pieces. At least, this won’t be a problem anymore. Then he brings his wrist to his mouth to lave the little cut he had made with his tongue. It’s not even deep, it looks more like an accident than anything. Still, Castiel takes Dean’s wrist and brings it to his own lips to kiss the little wound, which instantly disappears.

“You didn’t have to do this, it was just a little cut.” huffs Dean, taking back his wrist.

“I don’t like the reason it was there.”

“I really wanted to do it.”

“I’m sure you did. But, you know I would have brought you back, right?”

“Cas…”

“I’ll always bring you back, Dean!”

The hunter exhales loudly and shakes his head, both in annoyance and disbelief.

“Why, Cas? It’s not like I’m so indispensable to the world. Even Sammy could live without me, so who cares, really?

“I do, Dean. I care.”

“Only because you were ordered by God to care. I probably caused you more problems than anything.”

“God has nothing to do with how I feel about you, Dean. He certainly did not require for me to fall and die for you.” Castiel says, a smile on his lips.

Dean turns to look at his friend and can’t avoid a little smile himself. His gaze is still a bit shrouded in sadness, but there’s also an underlying softness there. For the first time, Castiel really believes he’s getting through to him. He would love to ask a million questions, know everything that’s going on in his mind, but he also know his friend and how quickly he might clam up if he pushes too hard. So he waits. It probably takes close to a half hour before Dean speaks again.

“I really was in love, Cas. With Baby I mean. I really was. And the weird thing is that, I still kinda am, but I also know how sick it is.”

“You’ve always loved Baby.”

“Yeah, but not like this. The things I’ve done… to her.” Dean sputters, shuddering.

“You weren’t yourself, Dean.”

“And somewhat, I still was. I meant it when I said that I’m poison. Nobody, hell _nothing_  is safe around me. Not even my fucking car!”

Without answering, Castiel takes Dean’s hand in his, not even knowing if he will be rejected or not. He hopes not because he needs the contact as much as he thinks Dean might. And apparently he does because the hunter’s hand settles in his and even gives a little squeeze.

 

*****

 

When Dean wakes up, several hours later, his head is on Castiel’s lap. He can’t remember how that happened but he’s a bit perplexed when he realises that he really doesn’t care. _“When did that happen?”_ he thinks, not wishing to leave his friend’s warmth. Instead, he closes his eye again and just revels in the sensation of feeling safe… and most likely loved.

He’s not used to feeling this way. And he knows he’s probably just too entangled in sleep to see his defense mechanisms take over. They should catch on in the next minute or so but for now, he’s letting his heart flutter and his body warm up at the thought of another human being (ok, not a human being) watching over him. That’s when he realises that Cas has always done that too. He even did when Dean would throw a bitch fit about it.

But of course, at other times, Cas would just disappear to heaven or God knows where and not give a fuck about him for months at a time. He’d pray and pray and Cas wouldn’t answer. _“Congrats, Dean Winchester, the dam is back up, your feelings won’t be spilling out again today. Give yourself a big pat on the back.”_ He huffs when he sits up, separating his body from Cas’ secure hold.

“When do I get to sleep in a real bed?” he asks his friend.

“As soon as we know the entity haunting Baby is gone for good.”

“How will you know?”

“I can see it when I look at the car. And Sam’s over there with an EMF. He hasn’t called yet so she might still be there.”

“Right… or maybe he’s sleeping.”

“Maybe. Would you like some coffee, or something else to drink. Food, even?”

“Coffee would be nice. I’m a little hungry. Nothing fancy. Like cookies, or chips, whatever’s in a bag.”

“I’ll go make some coffee and go see how Sam’s doing.”

After flicking his wrist to the floor to make the broken plate whole again, he takes it to bring it back to the kitchen. He’s certainly not leaving anything potentially sharp with his friend again. While the coffee is brewing, he looks in the pantry to find a new box of chocolate chip cookies and Sam’s half eaten bag of apple chips. Maybe he too would appreciate a snack. He fills one cup with the coffee and adds a bit of milk then grabs the apple chips before bringing them to garage.

Just as Dean suspected, Sam is asleep, his tall frame curled up on the yoga mat Dean had brought before. On the floor, the EMF meter’s lights are blinking but ever so dimly. Not that Castiel needs that to see how weak the shimmer around the car now is. And when it addresses him, it’s nothing more than a murmur.

_“What will happen to me?”_

He really doesn’t know what to answer and he wishes he could tell her beautiful things are waiting on the other side. But he doesn’t even know if there’s another side for artificial ghosts. Is there an artificial heaven? Will she just dissipate in the ether?

_“I wish I knew, but I don’t”_

_“Tell Dean I love him.”_

_“He knows and while you were here, he loved you too.”_

Baby just hums in agreement and stops talking. Castiel sits in front of the car and puts his hand on the grill, certain she won’t try and hurt him anymore. Whatever that thing was, he’s still a bit sad to see her die. Ok, she had sent him flying across the room and she tried to smother Dean with her artificial love, but it wasn’t her fault. She didn’t know any better. And even if it was Dean’s own creation, he too could not be held responsible.

No, he did feel like both him and Sam were the responsible ones, to some extent. Actually, if he was being totally honest, he felt like it was more his fault than Sam’s. He had been right to question where Castiel was. Dean was his charge, his friend, but he was always gone somewhere without apparently a care in the world. Which was so far from the truth, but did he ever tell anybody that? Of course not.

Sam is not to blame here. His wishes are legitimate ones, even if his ways of expressing them could be a little smoother. But they are dealing with a man with the worst case of self-hatred in the history of mankind, nothing anyone could ever say could be sweet enough. He’ll always think that he’s being rejected and unloved.

While he thinks, he sees the Impala’s unnatural light fade slowly. He can feel her sobbing, softly, knowing she’s dying without any hope of anything better to come. Castiel can’t stop a tear to fall on his cheek when the entity finally disappears and her cries fade out. It’s over…

“There are no lights anymore.” Sam says from behind him.

“She’s gone.” Castiel only confirms, his hand still on the grill.

“I wonder how Dean’s doing.”

“I was with him not long ago. He must be doing ok if she’s finally at rest.”

Castiel doesn’t mention the almost suicide attempt incident to Sam, since nothing really happened. At this point, he doesn’t feel it would help anyone. Instead, he stands up and wipes the tears from his face before turning around.

“I’m going back to see your brother, I promised him some coffee and a snack. I’ll probably free him soon so, if you’d rather not see him, you might want to go to your room or something.”

“Yeah… maybe… thanks for the coffee and chips. I’ll talk to you later.” Sam replies, not even trying to challenge the angel’s idea about him not willing to see his brother.

As for Castiel, he goes back to the kitchen and pours a coffee for Dean, this one black, and brings it to the dungeon along with the cookies. The hunter’s not sitting anymore but rather pacing nervously, looking a bit panicked.

“Is everything ok, Dean?” the angel asks cautiously after setting the mug and cardboard box down.

“She’s dead, ain’t she?” Dean just breathes, still pacing. “‘cause, I felt her die. I think. Like this punch in my heart. But, at the same time, I kinda feel like I killed her. You know?”

“You know the car is fine, right?”

“No… I know… it’s just… how it felt. It’s like the crappiest break-up ever, man!”

“It’ll get better.”

“Will she come back?”

“I would love to say that she won’t, but I don’t know. I’d imagine that if you get in that state of mind again, she could come back.”

Dean stops walking and swipes a hand on his face as if it could scrape all the negativity from his thoughts. Of course, it doesn’t work, but it seems to ground him a little.

“What will you do now?” ask Castiel to his friend.

“What else but hunt? I guess I just have to accept that it’s not so much of a family business anymore.”

“But what if it was?”

“What do you mean? Sammy wants nothing to do with me.”

“I admit that you are in a bad place right now, but maybe some time apart would do you some good.”

“I can’t leave him alone.”

“If you don’t, you might risk losing him forever, Dean.”

“You don’t understand, Cas!”

“Really?” Castiel spits back, getting closer to the hunter. “Have you already forgotten what I have done for you? And how I would do it again?”

“No, but…”

“No buts, Dean. You said so yourself, we’re family. Let me be your family, even for a little while, until you and Sam get to a better place.”

“That’s not how it works, Cas! You are family, but there’s no time limit. It’s forever.”

“Then let’s hunt together.”

“What about Sam?”

“Your brother’s a man of letter, Dean, a scholar. He’s also a marvelous hunter, but he will never be happy on the road. Not like you.

“And what happens if heaven’s doors ever open again? You’ll leave for some angelic duties or whatever and I’ll be left alone?”

“I’ll never leave you alone again, Dean Winchester.” Castiel says, getting even closer.

Dean’s green eyes are filled with doubt, with his brows knitted and his mouth pinched. He can’t believe what the angel is telling him. Too many people have left him over the course of his life to make him think that Castiel would be any different.

“You have before…” he refutes.

“I did… but I won’t ever again. If it means I’ll have to become human again, I will.”

“Why?”

“You know why… and I’m not expecting anything from you. Just know that I will be with you as long as you want me.”

Other people, in other circumstances, might have thought it was the perfect moment to kiss the person standing in front of them. Many words and feelings are being laid on the table but neither Dean or Castiel seem to think it is appropriate at this time. Actually, Dean is still debating about it while Castiel has to remind himself it might not be the right moment. Still, he feels like a gesture has to be made. So he does the one thing he’s learned to do, something he learned could be comforting without being too invasive.

The angel hugs the hunter and he is delighted to see the hug being returned swiftly. He gets crushed against his friend’s chest and he feels him hooking his chin on his shoulder. It doesn’t last long, but for Castiel it feels like hours. He recalls purgatory and Dean’s fervor still mirrors that, but hugging back now gives it a whole new meaning. He feels they are on the same page, finally.

 

*****

 

It’s not even six in the morning when Sam’s phone rings. Thankfully, he had been up for close to an hour already and has just come back from his daily run. He sees Castiel’s name pop on the screen and answers, glad to hear from the angel.

“Good morning, Cas!”

“Hello Sam! Good morning to you too.”

“Heya Sammy!” he hears his brother call in the background.

“Dean says hello as well.”

“I heard. Hello to him too. So, where are you guys?”

“Montana… on our way to Billings.”

“What’s there?”

“Not sure yet. Might be angel related. Anything on your end?”

“No… Been talking to Garth, we’re working on building some kind of network for the hunters. An easier way to access the information, you know?”

“That’s great, Sam. Anyways, I was just checking in. Oh, and Dean wants to know… How’s Baby?”

“Baby’s great, hasn’t moved from her stall and no action on the EMF. She’s still the Baby we know and love.”

“Great, he’ll be happy. Take care, Sam!”

“You too, guys, be careful! Talk to you soon.”

Castiel hangs up the phone and turns to Dean, who’s driving.

“Baby’s good, no action on the EMF. And Sam says hello. Garth and him are building some kind of hunter’s network.”

“Good, good.”

“Do you miss her?” ask Castiel after a while, caressing his own car’s cream leather seats. He had picked this car because he liked it but he knew very well Dean didn’t think much of it.

“I do… but I’m still kind of spooked, you know? I wish you’d let me get rid of your pimp ride though!” he replies with a smile.

“I like it. It is… commanding!”

“The Impala is commanding! This… this is anything but!” Dean can only counter, cackling.

“Let’s agree to disagree then!” Castiel huffs, a bit offended to see his own taste in cars being mocked.

“Sorry, you’re right! You car’s great!” says Dean, presenting his hand, palm up.

“I’m not that easy!” the angel spits back, snobbing the peace offering.

“Yeah… you are!” the hunter replies, cheeky.

“Ok… maybe I am!” Castiel finally admits, taking the offered hand into his own and carding his fingers with Dean’s.

Both men smile, relishing the heat radiating through each other’s palm. At this point, neither of them really know where life is taking them and they don’t really care, as long as they get there together.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This idea came to me while I was still very much writing my previous project, but it would not leave me alone. It was pretty much triggered by that documentary I saw about the lady who married the Eiffel Tower.
> 
> Even though the story started as a comedy in my mind, I do not wish to mock what inspired it. Anyways, it quickly became not so funny. Even though it is not objectophilia, I kinda reference it (not by name, but that's still what Sam finds in his research).
> 
> Please know that I do not intend to mock objectophiles or their loved ones. As long as they don't hurt anybody or themselves, I'd say it's none of my business.
> 
>  
> 
> **
> 
> I do not own any characters or anything, only the weird ideas that sometimes plague my mind. And then I come and dump it all over you guys! *maniacal laughter*


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